Where Are They Now – Mike Bickle

Mike Bickle is the next former Argyle player under the spotlight in the Where Are They Now series.

MIKE BICKLE – Born 25th January 1944 Plymouth, Devon.

Mike came to professional football relatively late. After playing as a semi-professional with St. Austell in the South Western Football League at weekends and playing in mid-week with Co-op Welfare in the Devon Wednesday League, he combined his football with working fulltime as a milkman.

After building up a reputation in local football as a prolific goalscorer scouts told assistant manager Derek Ufton he was worth having a look at.
Argyle manager Malcolm Allison didn’t seem to be interested in 21 year old Mike. When Derek Ufton took over as manager on 1st May 1965 he signed Mike and gave him a chance to prove himself in the reserves.

Mike took his opportunity with both hands scoring eight goals in only six games. This led to him being given a chance in the first team.
He made his debut at Southampton on 11th December 1965; unfortunately it wasn’t a winning start with Argyle losing 4-1, although Mike did score the Argyle goal.
He didn’t have to wait long for his next goals; he scored twice in early January in a 5-2 win at home to Rotherham with Norman Piper also scoring twice and Nicky Jennings getting the other goal.
The following Saturday Mike scored the Argyle goal in a heavy 5-1 defeat at Coventry.
In the FA Cup first round Argyle thrashed non-league side Corby Town 6-0 at Home Park with Mike scoring a hat trick and Norman Piper, Cliff Jackson and Barrie Jones making sure there was no cup upset.
He continued to score throughout the rest of the season. He got the second goal in a 3-0 home win over Ipswich with Cliff Jackson and Norman Piper getting the other two.
He then scored the Argyle goal in a 1-1 draw at home to Orient.

The following Saturday he scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at Ayersome Park, Middlesbrough. His last two goals of the season both came in home defeats, the first came in a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Mike’s and Argyle’s last goal of the season came on 7th May when they were beaten by Southampton 3-2 with Cliff Jackson also on the scoresheet.
Mike ended his first season with twelve goals and a growing reputation among the fans, especially the Devonport End for his fearless displays.

1966-67 saw Mike again among the goals, in the first home game of the season he scored twice as Argyle beat Coventry 4-2, after Norman Piper and Barrie Jones had scored the first two goals.
His next goal also came in a 4-2 game, this time Rotherham scored the four goals and Argyle had to be content with goals from Mike and Duncan Neale.
In the next game Mike scored for Argyle in a 1-1 draw with Birmingham at Home Park.
On 1st October he scored the first goal in a 3-1 home win over Hull with Richard Reynolds getting the other two.
Two week later in the next home game, Cardiff were slaughtered 7-1 with Mike scoring four of the goals Norman Piper, Richard Reynolds and Nicky Jennings also scored.

Mike’s next goal came in a 2-0 win at home to Bolton, he scored the second after Andy Nelson had opened the scoring with a rare goal. Mike’s next goal made the national news. Argyle went to Millwall on 14th January with the home team defending an unbeaten 59 game home record. Mike scored the first goal and Alan Banks the second to record a 2-1 win and end the record.
Never the friendliest of fans, the Millwall supporters stoned the Argyle players as they returned to the team coach and then stoned that as well.
His next came in a 3-2 home defeat against Huddersfield who won 3-2, with Mike and Norman Piper scoring for Argyle.
His thirteenth and last goal of the season came in a 2-2 home draw with Norwich; Keith Etheridge scored the first goal.
Mike finished as leading goalscorer, as he would for the following three seasons.

Argyle started 1967-68 in great style, playing newly relegated Aston Villa twice in the first four games and beating them on both occasions.
I particularly remember the 1-0 win at Villa Park thanks to a John Mitten goal, it was the first time I had seen Argyle win away, coming only two weeks after my first away game, the season opener at Cardiff, where we came away with a 1-1 draw with John Mitten again the scorer.
Unfortunately it all went wrong then with only one point coming from the next eleven games.
Mike’s robust style of play may have endeared him to the fans but it meant he picked up a lot of injuries and missed the early games of the season.
He scored his first of the season in early December in a 3-1 win at home to Carlisle, former England international Alan Peacock scored a rare Argyle goal and Mike Harrison got the second.
His next goal came the following Saturday in a 2-1 win at Burnden Park Bolton with Norman Piper also on the scoresheet.

Mike scored in three successive games but Argyle only gained one point from them. Mike scored the Argyle goal in a 4-1 defeat at eventual champions, QPR; he then scored the second goal in a 2-2 home draw with Norwich with Mike Harrison scoring the first.
Argyle were then beaten 4-3 at Home Park by Derby with John Mitten scoring twice and Mike scoring the third goal.
Argyle played Birmingham twice in two days over Easter with Mike scoring in both games, the first in a 2-1 home defeat and the next day he scored twice in the 2-2 draw at St. Andrews.
Mike scored his ninth goal of the season in a 1-1 draw at Blackburn. By the time Crystal Palace came to Home Park on the last day of the season Argyle were already relegated, only 4,768 turned up to watch the end of a miserable season, a Palace own goal gave Argyle the lead with Mike scoring the second in a 2-1 home win.
My first full season of watching Argyle ended in relegation, little did I know then that over the next 45 years another four relegations would follow, at times testing my loyalty beyond belief.

Mike started Argyle’s first season back in Division 3 for nine years by scoring goals, the first coming in a 3-1 home win over Reading, Dave Burnside opened the scoring then goals from Mike and an own goal made the game safe.
He scored four goals in six days between 14th & 20th September. The first two were in a 3-1 win at home against Bristol Rovers with Danny Trainor scoring the third, the following Wednesday he scored in a 1-0 home win over Walsall and two days later got the third goal in a 3-2 win at Stockport after Danny Trainor and Norman Piper had scored the first two. Mike scored the second goal in a 3-0 home win over Hartlepool between goals from Danny Trainor and Bobby Saxton.
Mike the scored the Argyle goal in a 1-1 draw at home to Oldham in early October.

Injuries meant he would have to wait over four months to score again, when he scored the first in a 2-1 win at Reading with Dave Burnside scoring the winner.
Mike’s last four goals of the season came in two games; he got both goals in a 2-1 win at home to Swindon and finished off with both goals in a 2-2 draw at home to Stockport.

1969-70 saw Mike virtually injury free enabling him to score a career best of 18 league goals.
On 23rd August Argyle went to Plainmoor to beat local rival Torquay 2-1 with goals from Mike and John Tedesco sending the Argyle fans home happy.
He then scored the opener in a 2-0 home win over Stockport with Richard Reynolds also scoring.
The same two players scored again in the next game a 4-3 defeat at Fulham with an own goal making the third goal.
In November Mike scored in a 1-1 draw at Doncaster. On Boxing Day a crowd of 17,128 saw Argyle thrash Torquay with Mike scoring four and Norman Piper two.
It was only the second time an Argyle player had scored four goals in a game twice; Maurice Tadman was the other in 1950.
Mike’s next came in a 2-0 win a Luton, who ended the season getting promoted, Derek Rickard opened the scoring and Mike made the game safe. Mike scored the goal in a 1-0 win at home to Mansfield and the got the equaliser in a 1-1 draw at home to Reading. Mike and Derek Rickard again both scored when Argyle drew 2-2 against Gillingham at Home Park.

In the last five weeks of the season Mike scored six times. Mike and Derek Rickard both scored in a 2-2 home draw with Bury and in the following game at Dean Court Bournemouth Mike, Aiden Maher and Trevor Shepherd saw Argyle to a 3-1 win.
The next Saturday Shrewsbury came to Home Park and were beaten 4-2 with a hat trick from Derek and one from Mike making the win look easier than it was.
Mike then scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at home to Barrow. In early April Mike got a consolation goal in a 3-1 defeat at Tranmere and finished his scoring off when he scored the first goal in a 2-2 draw at Walsall with Barry Rowan scoring the other goal.

Injuries again restricted Mike’s appearances in 1970-71 season.
He started well getting the winner in a 2-1 home win over Port Vale after a Port Vale own goal had got Argyle on the way. He then scored twice in a 5-1 hammering of Mansfield at Field Mill, with Don Hutchins, Bobby Saxton and Keith Allen scoring the other three.
His next goal came in a 4-3 home defeat to Bury, Derek Rickard scored twice after Mike had opened the Argyle scoring. Mike had to wait nearly three months before he scored his next goal, it came in a 1-1 draw at home to Halifax and a month later scored his last of the season, it came in a 2-1 home win over Barnsley with Keith Allen scoring the second goal.

A fit again Mike stated 1971-72 in good form. He scored twice in a 3-1 home win over Mansfield with Les Latcham scoring the third goal and followed it up a fortnight later in a 2-2 draw at home to Tranmere with Jimmy Hinch scoring the other Argyle goal.
Ten days after his third goal of the season Mike played his last game for the club, on 27th September Argyle lost 3-2 at Rochdale with Jimmy Hinch and Don Hutchins scoring for Argyle.

Mike’s former team mate and now Gillingham manager Andy Nelson made a bid of £7,000 for Mike which was accepted by the Argyle board. It seemed a small amount for a man who had scored 74 goals from 195 appearances and had become a legend to the Devonportenders.

Mike scored another seven goals in his first season at Gillingham before disaster struck after only six games of the 1972-73 season when mike collided with a team mate in a game against Stockport suffering a serious neck injury. Mike woke up in hospital paralysed from the chest down after breaking a bone in his neck. He made his comeback in a first round FA Cup match against Reading in November but injured his shoulder and was unable to play for Gillingham again. In January 1973 Mike accepted the advice of a medical expert and at only 29 was forced to retire from the game.

In 1973 Andy Nelson arranged for Mike to have a testimonial at Home Park with former Argyle manager Malcolm Allison bringing his Manchester City team down to the Westcountry on 2nd May. City won 3-2 but the 12,541 crowd didn’t care about the result, they had come to say goodbye to one of their heroes.

Mike returned to Plymouth to live, finding work in the Dockyard, only retiring a few years ago.


plymouthvital@aol.co.uk